The Peconic Teacher Center has been providing quality Professional Development to teachers in the East End school districts for over 30 years. The Center is governed by a policy board composed of practicing teachers elected by the bargaining agency presidents of the constituency served by the Center and other groups with a stake in the education of our children, such as Administrators, Board Members, Parents, Community Members, Higher Education and Business Industry. The PTC offers courses and workshops throughout the year to provide opportunities for members to expand their professional expertise.

Our Mission
The purpose of the Peconic Teacher Center is to offer planned and continuous education to the professional staff of the participating consortium schools, teachers in other school districts, and community residents. Supported and sponsored by PTC Policy Board, the teacher center reaffirms the principles of professional autonomy and professional collaboration inherent in the highest quality of professional development. Thus, through the organization, administration and planning for the center, teachers assume a large degree of responsibility for their personal growth.

Principles
Peconic Teacher Center consortium teachers endorse the principle that cooperation among autonomous groups is fundamental to growth and is essential to progress in education. They view the teacher center as a laboratory for this principle. Here various groups of teachers, administrators, and community leaders may work together for a valued purpose.

Programs can be initiated by:

Teachers

Teacher Unions

Teacher-directed professional development teams

School district administrators working with teacher unions or teacher teams

Cooperating Institutions

Programs can be:

Opportunities to acquire in-depth knowledge, develop effective teaching strategies and resources, and support the efforts of teachers responding to state and local initiatives.

System activities supporting the work of districts and schools engaged in redesign for effectiveness.

Collaborations and partnerships where PTC is the catalyst for linking such partners as school districts, BOCES, institutions of higher education, and community organizations for the improvement of education.

Opportunities for teachers to design, implement, and assess replicable, innovative activities aimed at improving learning and teaching to support NYS standards and assessments and to establish a body of instructional and professional development resources available for dissemination to colleagues through the PTC Resource collection.